16. Digital Tools in Empirical Marketing Strategies of Global Hotel Companies

This chapter reviews how hospitality companies use modern digital tools, and how this is the most important vehicle for the implementation of their empirical marketing strategies in the context of the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution. Providing a unique customer experience is vital to the success of contemporary hotel chains. The introduction of state-of-the-art digital tools into companies’ marketing activities enables them to provide their customers with the fullest and most positive interactive experience at their hotels. In a digital space, communications include a corporate website, a mobile application, social media, email campaigns, and further online tools. A comprehensive mode, using various digital tools, forms the basis for efficient customer interaction; it is important, too, that customers find utilising such corporate digital resources convenient. The purpose of this study is to evaluate current experiences global hotel chains have had implementing digital tools. Having used digital tools to conduct a system analysis, the paper describes the results, identifies the key digital channels being used to interact with the consumer, and determines both the existing extent of integration among these various channels and the possibility of creating an integrated cross-channel infrastructure. The paper also discusses the extent to which personalisation can be offered, and suggests the development of a personalised customer path, which can provide the grounds to generate a unique and positive digital experience for each customer.